Cigar using homogenized leaf



July 31, 1962 s. L. RICH CIGAR USING HOMOGENIZED LEAF Filed May 15, 1961 H mm A 1. U M a 3,046,993 CIGAR USING HOMOGENIZED LEAF Sidney L. Rich, Clearwater, Fla., assignor to Lenardo Corporation, Clearwater, Fla., a corporation of on a Filed May 15, 1961, Ser. No. 109,972 4 Claims. (Cl. 1318) This invention pertains to cigars, and particularly to cigar constructions embodying homogenized or reconstituted tobacco leaf.

A general object of the invention is to provide improved cigar constructions or arrangements embodying homogenized tobacco leaf.

Over the past several years a number of methods of preparing reconstituted leaf from small tobacco particles or scraps have been developed. These methods, exemplified in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,708,175 (Re. 24,424); 2,706,695; 2,592,553; 2,485,670; 2,433,877; 2,769,734; 2,739,600; 2,734,510, 2,734,513; and 2,707,472, usually include the comminuting of tobacco particles to provide material of approximately uniform size, the mixing of the particles in a slurry, the depositing of the slurry on a casting belt and subsequent drying of the deposited layer. It has also been suggested to deposit two or three layers, one of which may contain somewhat larger particles than another, to form a non-uniform or laminated sheet. Certain cellulose materials, locust bean gum, sodium al ginate, glucosides and the like may be added to the slurry or otherwise incorporated in the finished sheet to adhere the particles and increase sheet strength. It has also been suggested to incorporate a layer of glass fibers in the reconstituted leaf, in accord with Patent No. 2,592,554.

In the processes which have proved most successful, a layer of small particles is deposited in a slurry containing a binder on a stainless steel belt, and the deposited layer is passed on the belt under a radiant heat drier. The sheet thus formed is stripped from the belt, its moisture content being adjusted by spraying with water or otherwise, before or after removal from the belt, and the reconstituted leaf or sheet is then rolled. Such sheets are presently being manufactured ina thickness of between 2.5and 3.5 mils.

As a result of the drying of the slurry, under certain process, it has been found that the sheet surface exposed to the radiant heat may take on a dark appearance while the surface in contact with the belt is of much lighter color.

Homogenized leaf, such as produced by the methods indicated above, is useful in cigars, and particularly as a binder for cigars. An outer Wrapper is ordinarily employed which is a natural tobacco leaf, as necessitated by external appearance requirements. It has been found, however, that an undesirably dark-appearing ash may be formed in a cigar wherein the binder comprises reconstituted leaf disposed with its dark surface outward. It has also been found that cigars formed of a bunch with a binder of reconstituted leaf wound spirally about the bunch with a natural leaf wrapper, tend to have the urn fortunate characteristic of a weak ash which may curl outwardly. Even when the hunch is made from long filler tobacco, there is a tendency for the outer layers of the ash formed from the wrapper and binder to curl outwardly and flake off.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cigar construction utilizing a homogenized or reconstituted leaf binder which will minimize the foregoing disadvantages, wherein the cigar ash will be strong, not subject to curling and flaking of the charred binder and wrapper, and wherein the bunch may be composed of short filler.

The desirability of short filler lies not only in the obvious saving of cost in using smaller pieces but in the 3,45,993 Patented July 31, 1962 greater uniformity of blend which is possible with smaller pieces, reducing the likelihood that most of the smoke at one time will be from one of the types of tobacco and at another time from another of the types of tobacco present in the blend such as occurs when long filler is used.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a composite binder sheet made up of two adhered pieces of reconstituted tobacco leaf, one of said pieces being partly rolled back t expose the construction; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a complete cigar in accord with the invention, an end portion of the cigar being shown partially unwrapped to expose the internal arrangement thereof.

As seen in Fig. l, the binder 1 comprises pieces 2 and 3 of homogenized or reconstituted tobacco leaf joined face-to-face by a non-burning silicate adhesive applied to surface 4 of sheet 3 in a plurality of parallel stripes 5. The stripes 5 may be continuous but are shown interrupted by spaces 6. The adhesive stripes are conveniently applied by rubber printing rollers supplied with the adhesive on the surfaces of the rollers, the sheet 3 being fed beneath the rollers and held down during this process by a plurality of wires. Wherever a roller passes over one of the wires, a slight interruption 6 occurs in the stripe printed on the leaf. The specific manner of applying the stripes of adhesive to the surface 4 of sheet 3, however, forms no part of this invention, and it is contemplated that the stripes may be applied by brushes, rubber rollers, by spraying, by transfer from a printing plate or by other similar methods.

' If the stripes of adhesive are interrupted, such as by wires holding the sheet in place during printing, the interruptions should occur not more frequently than about every inch of length of the stripe and should be staggered in such manner that, in the completed cigar, the interruptions will not occur at the same distance from an end of the cigar, or, in other words, opposite each other. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the interruptions of the stripes will be offset each from the next when the binder is helically wound. More particularly, when the binder is applied to the cigar, a plane passed through the cigar perpendicular to the axis of the cigar would intersect the binder along a circle which would correspond to a line parallel to edge 7 of the binder sheet before wrapping thereof on the bunch. Accordingly, at any position along the cigar at which one interruption occurs, there would always be several other stripes not interrupted at that position. The ash of the cigar formed during smoking is substantially and effectively reinforced by the charred tobacco material and silicate stripes extending along the ash, and it has been found that silicate stripes arranged in the manner shown do not interfere appreciably with normal charring and smoking of the cigar.

It is important in order that there should be no undesired change in the smoking chaaracteristics of the cigar,

' that the stripes of adhesive be spaced apart and narrow and should cover no more than substantially or percent of the area of the binder. In order that suflicient resistance to flaking of the ash be provided, the area covered by the stripes should be not less than substantially 20 to 30 percent of the area of the binder. It is also important that the stripes should be sufliciently thin 7 thereof, while face 9 is the lighter face. and 8, accordingly, are adhered, providing a completed and spaced sufliciently close to each other that at least four or five and preferably about ten stripes intersect at circumference of the cigar. In a cigar of one typical size,

binder sheet with light coloredfaces exposed.

a While the pattern of silicate stripes is shown as applied only to sheet-3, alternate stripes may be applied to face '8 of sheet 2, if desired, providing the same pattern after the sheets are brought together as thatshown at 4 v short filler tobacco, spirally wrapped by binder 1. Na

. tural leaf is left-hand wrapped as a wrapper outwardly 5. Thus if both sheets are printed, the stripes on each sheet would either be twice as far apart and would not meet when the sheets were placed together, or,,if they were to meet, they might be spaced on each sheet substantially as shown for sheet 3. 'Alkali metal silicates, including silicates of sodium or potassium or both, are satisfactory. The silicate may be appropriately applied as water glass of between about 14and30 Baum to a sheet 3 having a moisture con-. tent of between 8 and percent by weight. The sheets 2 and 3 are pressed together gently prior to substantial drying out of the water glass. Sheet 2. for example, may be placed on sheet 3 and the sheets passed under a roll pressing the sheets together with a force of an'ounce or a few ounces per inch of roll length.

If aprinting waterglass solution of greater than 30 Baum is used, the resultant binder sheet; will be too" brittle along the stripes. If the solution is less than about 14 Baum, insuflicient strength will be imparted to the ash along the stripes. For solutions of to Baum, the stripes should be relatively narrow and widely spaced when compared to 'broader and closer spaced stripes appropriate for solutions. of 14 to 18 Baum, for example. It is preferred, in order to prevent or minimize overlapping of one striped portion on another striped portion at the overlapped spiral joints of the binder along the cigar,that less than 50% of the binder surface be printed with silicate, and if, for example, 40% .of the surface area is printed with silicate. stripes, a solution of between about 20 to 25 Baum has been found appropriate.

In practice, it is convenient to adhere large sheets of reconstituted leaf together and then to cut binder sheets such as shown at 1 therefrom. The binder sheet is formed typically to have a length from end 7 to end 10, of about 11 inches depending, however, upon .the size and angle of wrapping of the cigar. End 7 is cut diagonally along an edge 17 at about 45 to the length of the binder sheet and this edge intersects an oppositely inclined edge 18. End'll) is formed by intersecting edges 11 and 12 each at about 45 tothe length and arranged as a nesting cut with the next binder sheet. Stripes 5 are also at about 45 to the longitudinal axis or length of the binder sheet and extend substantially parallel to edge 18. The binder is wrapped about the bunch in an approximately 45 spiral or helical manner starting with edge 18 extending longitudinally along the bunch, whereby the stripes 5 extend substantially parallel to the length or axis of the cigar. Edge 17 is disposed peripherally around the ignitable end of the cigar, while end 10 will be disposed at the mouth portion or tip of the cigar.

The cigar 13 shown in FIG. 2 is left-hand wrapped. It comprises a bunch 14 which, as mentioned, may be of of the binder. Binder 1, as explained above, has an outer surface on both sides which is light in color, and by merely turning over the binder, it may be used for wrapping a bunch in the right hand direction. The binder is always wrapped around the bunch in a direction to. place the printed stripes longitudinally of the cigar, f The outer wrapper of a hand made cigar is usually formed of a portion of a natural leaf which may be best adapted for right hand or for left hand wrapping. The binder 1 being reversible, it may be applied to .the bunch in a direction corresponding to that inwhich'the particular wrapper is to be applied.

It is important to the invention that at least. the surface of the composite binder sheet which faces outwardlywhen wound on the cigar be of light colorto avoid a dark ash. a

It has been found that not only are' the flaking and breaking off of the ash about /2 inch in length orshort lengths heretofore characteristic of cigars made with. homogenized or reconstituted leaf or, natural-binders,

, overcome by the use of laminated binders, as herein disclosed, but the laminated binder of this invention so increases the strength of the ash that much shorter and-,1

accordingly,- more uniformly blended-filler may be used in the bunch.

While only a certain preferred embodiment of this I invention has been shown and described by way of. illus;

tration, many'modifications'will. occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all.

. such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope l. Ina cigar comprising a bunch, a binder comprising two sheets of reconstituted leaf tobacco, one sheet being disposed against and laminated by a plurality of spaced stripes of'non-burning adhesive, extending longitudinally of the cigar, to a face of the other said sheet, said binder being helically wound on said bunch with said one sheet outwardly of said other sheet, and a tobacco leaf wrapper helically wound upon said binder and in contact with said one sheet of said binder.

2. A'composite binder for use in a cigar comprising two sheets of homogenized tobacco leaf material, each said sheet having a dark face and a light face, said sheets being disposed with said dark faces in contact, and a plurality of spaced discrete stripes of non-burning alkali met silicate adhesive adhering said sheets together. p

3. A laminated binder for use in a cigar comprising a sheet of homogenized tobacco leaf material, a plurality of spaced stripes of non-burning adhesive comprising an alkali metal silicate disposed on one said sheet, another sheet of homogenized tobacco leaf material disposed against said one sheet and in contact with saidstripes, said stripes adhering said other sheet to said one sheet:

4. A cigar comprising a bunch, a laminated binder, said binder comprising two overlapping sheets of reconstituted leaf tobacco, a plurality of spaced stripes of alkali metal silicate adhesive material between said sheets for adhering said sheets together, said binder being wound on said bunch, and a tobacco leaf wrapper wound upon said binder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,592,554 Frankenburg Apr. 15, '1952 2,734,510 I-Iungerford et al Feb. 14, 1956 2,985,175 Rich May 23, 1961 

